new tampa - vol. 2, issue 3, march 2016

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New Tampa Lifestyles VOLUME 2 ISSUE 3 3For Advertising Info 813-731-3209 • NewTampaLifestyles.com

By Amy Paterson

Wheelchairs 4 Kids, a local 501(C) 3 organization, is dedicated to im-proving the lives of children with physi-cal disabilities by providing wheelchairs,home and vehicle modifications as wellas assistive and therapeutic equipmentat no charge to the families.

Many children in the UnitedStates faced with living with physicaldisabilities are in wheelchairs that aretoo small, in disrepair, or do not fit theneeds of the child. Children outgrowtheir wheelchairs before governmentor insurance programs will allow for areplacement. Not only is it unsafe fora child to be in a chair that is inade-quate for their needs; it can impacttheir health in numerous ways includ-ing scoliosis, respiratory problems andpressure sores. In addition, families arefaced with trying to care for their spe-cial needs children in homes that havenot been modified to meet their spe-cific circumstances. Wheelchairs 4 Kidsis working hard to address this neg-lected need. We hope that you willtake a moment to visit our website atwww.wheelchairs4kids.org and become

a fan of our Facebook page. You’ll beable to follow what we are up to! Youcan also see a several videos of ourwork on our YouTube channel.

Do a Little Time! Wheelchairs 4 Kids is holding its

5th Annual Jail-N-Bail, and we arelooking for community leaders to “doa little time” for a GREAT cause forour annual Jail-N-Bail fundraiser! Jail-N-Bail will be held at Charley’s SteakHouse on April 29, 2016. “Felons”will be asked to raise $3,000 - $5,000in bail! It is a great way to help usgive these kids the independence theyso deserve!

Wheelchairs 4 Kids will be “ar-resting” prominent citizens in theTampa Bay Area for various chargessuch as insider trading (retired NFLplayers using connections to get ahead

in Fantasy Football), to impersonatingan actor (local businessowners/lawyers appearing in commer-cials). The sillier the crime, the better!Of course, your charges and bail arenegotiable. You can even split the bailwith a co-conspirator!

On April 29th, Jail-N-Bail “In-mates” will turn themselves in atCharley’s Steak House (AKA The BigHouse) where they will be pho-tographed, issued prison garb, hand-cuffed and held in a holding cell withall of the other “felons.” I understandthat the prison guards are notoriousfor sneaking in food and beverages!Those arrested will be ordered to ap-pear before Judge Julie and JudgeSteve Weintraub (owners of Gold &Diamond Source) to answer tocharges. Raise bail or be locked up inthe Wheelchairs 4 Kids “jail” for one

hour, and once bail is met, the guiltywill be released with great fanfare.

Wheelchairs 4 Kids’ Jail-N-Bail isnot only a way to help local childrenwho need wheelchairs and handicapmodifications, but it also is fun andgreat exposure for your business.“Jailbirds” will receive several copiesof their “Wanted” poster, and willhave a page on Wheelchairs 4 Kids’website with a personal wanted posterand charges. Bail can be met on eachinmate’s personal webpage, wheresupporters can make a secure, onlinedonation toward bail in advance.Wheelchairs 4 Kids will design custome-mail blasts that “inmates” may sendto friends and post on social mediasites such as Facebook, Twitter andLinkedIn. Collect bail in advance –you never know what will happen inthe jail. A riot may break out and youdon’t want to miss the fun!

If you are able, please helpWheelchairs 4 Kids in its effort to helplocal children in need. If you havequestions, suggestions, comments, orwould like to find out how you canhelp, please contact Wheelchairs 4Kids at 727-946-0963.

Wheelchairs 4 Kids, 501 (C) 3organization, is located at 1976 S.Pinellas Avenue, Tarpon Springs, FL34689. Log on towheelchairs4kids.org for more info.

Wheelchairs 4 Kids Jail-N-Bail – A Fun Wayto Help Tampa Bay Area Kids Gain Mobility!

New Tampa Lifestyles4 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 3 For Advertising Info 813-731-3209 • NewTampaLifestyles.com

Annual Community Egg HuntMar 26, 11am - 1:30pm at The

Grove of Wesley Chapel, 6105 WesleyGrove Blvd, Wesley Chapel

Victorious Life Church is spon-soring their 8th Annual CommunityEaster Egg Hunt at The Grove onSaturday, March 26th. This event willtake place in the field across from theCobb Theater. Egg Hunts will beheld at 11am, 12pm and 1pm, includ-ing Egg Hunts for children with spe-cial needs in a designated area. Thisyear's activities will include BounceHouses, Prizes, Food Trucks and FreePictures with the Easter Bunny.Everyone is welcome.

Please Contact Victorious LifeChurch at (813) 973-2230 for fur-ther information.

Community- Wide Yard Sale& Bake Sale

Sat. April 2, from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.at Compton Park

Open to the public! Sponsored by the Tampa Palms

Women’s Club, you can donate your“treasures” to be sold, or you can renta space and sell your own “treasures.”Either way, come to shop for bargainsand enjoy home baked goodies.

For more information, callElvea Kelly at (813) 615-9600, orgo to www.tampapalmswomen-sclub.com, and scroll down toTampa Palms Community Yard &Bake Sale. All proceeds from thisTampa Palms Women’s Club spon-sored event are donated to our USFscholarship fund.

Our Heroes' Memorial GolfTournament

April 4 at Hunter’s Green

Country Club, 18101 LongwaterRun Dr in Tampa

The Our Heroes' Memorial GolfTournament is an annual event held inhonor of all Tampa police officerskilled in the line of duty. All proceedsraised benefit the Tampa PoliceBenevolent Association Charity Fund,Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitableorganization.

The Tampa PBA Charity Fundwas established for the benefit of theCity of Tampa police officers killed orwounded in the line of duty and theirdependent families.

The date of our 8th Annual OurHeroes' Memorial Golf Tournament isset for April 4, at Hunter's GreenCountry Club in New Tampa.

The goal this year is to raise$15,000 for the fund. This goal willonly be reached if they receive supportfrom people like you and businesseslike yours. They hope we can count onyour support.

Your registration fee entitles youto breakfast & lunch at the clubhouse,18 holes of golf and cart, a goody bag,and an official 2016 tournament golfshirt. There will be Super Tickets, raf-fles, and auction items.

Opening ceremonies will begin at8:00 a.m. followed by a shotgun startat 8:30 a.m. Teams consist of 4 playersin either an Open or LEO Flight andthis tournament is a 4-Man ScrambleBest Ball format. There will be a Hole-in-One contest and some additionalchallenges along the way.

Enjoy complimentary beveragesand snacks while playing this beautifulcourse.

To register for the event, pleasevisit www.TampaPBA.org. If youwould like to be a sponsor for thisyear's event, please email [email protected] or call the PBA office at813-228-8900.


Community Calendar & News BriefsNew Tampa AREA

Florida Hospital Wesley ChapelOpens Brand New, State-of-the-ArtCardiac Catheterization Lab

On Sunday, March 13th, FloridaHospital Wesley Chapel welcomed thepublic for tours at the Ribbon Cuttingand Open House, which also includedthe MEGA Heart Exhibit.

As part of Florida Hospital WesleyChapel’s $78 million expansion, thehospital is opening a brand-new, state-of-the-art Cardiac Catheterization Lab.The new Cath lab will be one of thefirst areas complete.

The Greater Wesley ChapelChamber of Commerce, Central PascoChamber of Commerce and Trinity-Odessa Chamber of Commerce was onhand to cut the ribbon at 1:00 p.m.Visitors were given the rare opportu-nity to tour the new Cath lab, which isoutfitted with the latest technology.And, the MEGA Heart Exhibit was on-site, which is the world’s only portablewalkthrough heart exhibit. Visitors stepinside the human heart, learn aboutcardiovascular functions, observe exam-ples of various types of heart disease,and see information about some of thelatest medical treatments for heartproblems.

In addition to the Cath lab, theexpansion will add three additionalfloors to the hospital’s center wing andadd an additional three-story wing thatwill connect the south and centerwings. It involves 111,993 square feetof new construction and 10,834 squarefeet of renovation. In addition to thesecond heart catheterization lab,Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel willadd additional emergency rooms, inpa-tient rooms, surgical suites,recovery/observation rooms andshelled space for future growth. Theexpansion is expected to be complete inDecember 2016.

Upcoming Events at the NewTampa Regional Library

10001 Cross Creek Blvd, Tampa,FL 33647, (813) 273-3652

Story TimeTuesday, March 15, from 3:00

PM - 3:30 PMStories, action rhymes, songs and

interactive activities make up this en-gaging 30-minute program that high-lights early literacy skills, andencourages reading readiness and so-cial interaction.

Block Party!Monday, March 21, from 2:30

PM - 3:15 PMA fun interactive afternoon of cre-

ativity using Lego building blocks.This month's challenge is to buildsomething that moves! We provide theLegos. You provide the imagination!For grades K-8.

Thriving and Surviving in 2016Wed. March 23 from 12 p.m. -

1:30 p.m. at Jimmie B Keel RegionalLibrary

Senior Information Resources willpresent “Thriving and Surviving in2016” at the Jimmie B Keel RegionalLibrary located at 2902 W Bearss Av-enue in Tampa on Wednesday, March23, from noon-1:30 pm

Panel members will discuss waysto protect assets, must-have legal doc-umentation, social security payout op-tions, tax saving tips, and more.Questions from the audience will beaddressed with time permitting.

This is a FREE lunch and learnevent that is open to the public.Community resource material will beavailable.

A box lunch will be provided byHorizon Bay Lutz.

Seating is limited. Reserve bycalling (813) 949-0752. See “Calendar” on page 14.


Old McMicky’s Farm $30,000 ‘Mission I Do’ Military DreamWedding Winners Sam and Chris Married in FebruaryBrides amputee brother who was saved by the groom acted as best man

Submitted

Over 100 guests gathered at OldMcMicky's Farm to witness the wed-ding of a loving and deserving cou-ple, Samantha Dilberian &Christopher St Onge. Sam and Chrisare the winners of the 3rd "Mission IDo" $30k Dream Wedding Give-away. The Farm received dozens ofentries from local deserving militarycouples and narrowed the entries to4 worthy couples. In November, vot-ing was opened to the public andover 65,000 votes were received.

Samantha Dilberian & Christo-pher St Onge have a story strait outof a Hollywood movie. In 2010,Samantha’s brother Bryan graduatedbasic training and was stationed inFort Drum, NY. He showed Saman-tha’s picture to Sgt. Christopher St.Onge in an effort to get himself outof doing pushups. It must have

worked because Samantha soon got afriend request on Facebook.

Bryan and Chris deployed to-gether to Afghanistan in March 2011.Just a few months later, on July 1,2011 their squad was hit by an I.E.D.killing SPC Waters, and woundingSamantha’s brother, Bryan. Saman-tha’s family was told Bryan had lostboth legs and left arm and a lot ofblood, but was stable. Samantha re-ceived message after message filledwith support, love prayers, shouldersto lean on, but then a familiar namecame through her inbox. It was Chris,checking in on Bryan’s progress. Howgood it was to see his name. Someonethat was there with Bryan, someonewho helped save his life.

Chris and Samantha often spoke.He checked in on Bryan, she askedhow the rest of their deployment wasgoing. Little conversations thatbrought Samantha the most comfort

she had felt in months. After Bryanhealed, he could not wait to get backto his unit in Fort Drum. Samanthamade the trip with him, and of coursegot to spend some time with Chris.Chris and Samantha started dating,but could only see each other on

weekends due to their work schedulesand the long distance. It was a 6-hourdrive from Brooklyn to Fort Drum,but they made the trip almost everyweekend.

In December 2012, Chris got re-cruiting orders to Tampa and asked


Samantha to join him. She had toleave her family and her life, but therewas no hesitation. She knew Chris wasthe one for her, and she knew it wastime for them to start our lives to-gether. This past August, on their 3-year anniversary, Chris proposed. Afew weeks later, Chris received an e-mail announcing a dream weddinggiveaway from Old McMicky’s farm inOdessa, FL. It couldn’t have beenmore perfect timing. Chris is a truehero, a bronze star recipient. There isno one more deserving.

“This wedding gift is in apprecia-tion of the service and sacrifice ofthose who currently serve or haveserved in our military. It is my firm be-lief that everyone who serves in ourmilitary is helping to keep our familiessafe, so we thought one way to showour appreciation is to help them tostart families of their own.” said RalphZuckerman.

Old McMicky’s Farm is thankfulfor the generosity of all of our vendorpartners and media partners who helpmake ‘Mission I Do’ a reality. For a filllist of all partners - go tohttps://www.oldmcmickys.com/community-giving/mission-i-do/. TheFarm also thanks Brigadier General

Gary Brown, USMC retired and Vin-cent Jackson of the Tampa Bay Bucca-neers for making the PSA videoannouncing “Mission I Do’, and aspecial thanks to Blue Skies Events fordonating wedding coordination at theFarm for all four couples.

About Old McMicky’s Farm:Old McMicky’s Farm, located on theHistoric grounds of Camp Keystone(Established in 1946), is part of acherished 70 year-old Tampa Bay tra-dition. The Children’s EducationalFarm is dedicated to providing fun,educational and hands-on guidedtours to groups, the general publicand kids birthday parties. This uniquefarm is nestled on a beautiful 40-acrelake and is both rustic and elegant.The Farm also hosts special eventssuch as Barn Weddings, Company Pic-nics, Corporate Events, CharityEvents, and Private Parties to supporttheir educational programming andcommunity giving. Everyone at theFarm is dedicated to continuing thiswonderful tradition for kids and fami-lies in our Tampa Bay community.

OMF is dedicated to giving backto the community in many ways. TheFarm’s “1000 Kids” Program’s goalis to host 1000 kids a year in the

Tampa Bay area who are facing seri-ous challenges for an awesome, edu-cational and fun day at the Farm, atNo Charge. The Farm was honoredto host 1276 kids in 2014 under the“1000 Kids” program in its introduc-tory year, and in 2015 the farm wel-comed and additional 1036 kidsfacing challenges for a great dayunder the program.

The Farm’s “Mission I Do” pro-gram provides Free, All-InclusiveDream Weddings to Veteran’s and isnow open to all active military in theTampa Bay area. The third free “Mis-sion I Do” wedding is coming up inFebruary 2016.

The Old McMicky’s Farm ChildAdoption Education Day brings moreprospective adoptive parents in to theprocess to find more families for ourlocal children in foster care. Over 450people came out to the event to learn

more about adoption, making it oneof the largest child adoption educationevents in the nation. For more infor-mation about the Children AdoptionEducation Day go to: www.oldm-cmickys.com/child-adoption-educa-tion-day/

More information about thefarms community giving programscan be found at www.oldm-cmickys.com/community-giving/.To learn more about OldMcMicky’s Farm please visitwww.OldMcMickys.com or call813-920-1948. Follow us on FB atwww.facebook.com/OldMcMickys-Farm.

Editor’s Note: People Magazinecontacted the farm and will be doing astory about Chris and Samantha and“Mission I Do” in their online version ofthe magazine.


By Marcy Sanford

Tobacco Free Florida has beenhelping people quit smoking since2006. But they don’t just help individ-uals quit; Tobacco Free Florida has awide variety of resources to help busi-nesses help their employees quit smok-ing. Their free “Benefits to QuitWorksite Toolkit” guides business own-ers through the steps to help create atobacco free workplace. When employ-ers help their employees quit smokingit creates a healthier workplace and alsohas a positive effect on the business’profitability. Each employee that be-comes tobacco free reduces the healthcare costs for a business and increasesoverall productivity.

When Employees Use Tobacco,Your Profits Go Up in Smoke: Ac-cording to Tobacco Free Florida, re-cent studies of the private-sector in theUnited States have suggested that em-

ployees who smoke cost businesses, onaverage, more than $6,000 per yearwhen compared to non-smoking em-ployees. This cost to Florida businessescomes primarily in the form of in-creased health care costs and produc-tivity losses.

On average, health care costs foryour employees who smoke are up to34 percent higher than the cost forthose who do not use tobacco. Everyemployee who smokes can cost yourbusiness an extra $2,056 a year inmedical expenses. Additionally, underthe Affordable Care Act, insurerscould be able to charge up to 50 per-cent higher premiums for tobaccousers, which may further impact yourbottom line.

Tobacco use is also the leadingcontributor to lost productive worktime. Florida businesses lose an aver-age of $4,056 per smoker every yearin lost productivity. Workers who

smoke at least one pack of cigarettes aday have 75 percent more lost produc-tive time than nonsmoking workers.Just three 15-minute smoke breaks aday add up to more than a week oflost time in just one year.

Employees Will Appreciate YourSupport: Most people want to quitsmoking, but it is incredibly hard todo so. The average person tries to quit8 to 11 times before they are success-ful. Many people feel like smoking isan addiction they cannot get rid of.But with the right help, resources, andsupport, smokers and tobacco uses canquit successfully. As a business owneryou have the chance to help make apositive impact on your employees.Tobacco Free Florida can provide youwith successful programs to create asupportive work environment and in-troduce your employees to provensuccessful ways to quit. Throughoutthe program, Tobacco Free Florida

will help you evaluate your employees’progress and adapt when needed.

Pasco County Schools Are To-bacco Free, Your Business Can Be To:One of the largest employers in PascoCounty is going tobacco free withhelp from Tobacco Free Florida. As ofJuly 1, 2016, all Pasco CountySchools’ campuses including all ownedor leased school buildings, grounds,campuses, housing, and property (in-cluding vehicles and buses) will be100 percent tobacco-free. This changewas a collaborative effort betweenPasco County Schools, the SchoolHealth Advisory Committee, the To-bacco Free Partnership of PascoCounty, and Students WorkingAgainst Tobacco. The new policy cre-ated with the help of Tobacco FreeFlorida creates a supportive workplaceculture for Pasco County School em-ployees and offers them proven to-bacco cessation resources to motivatethem to succeed in quitting.

Local Tobacco Free Florida Rep-resentative Georgia Brieck has beenworking with the school system forthe past year, “I have served as a mem-ber of Pasco County Schools’ Em-ployee Health and WellnessCommittee. The committee has part-nered with Tobacco Free Florida andthe Florida Department of Health to


offer resources to help employees easeinto the process of becoming tobacco-free by July 2016. We know it can takemultiple quit attempts before a to-bacco user can successfully quit. As acommittee we focus on creating a sup-portive environment and effectivecommunication techniques and prov-ing a range of cessation options and avariety of other strategies to help em-ployees quit tobacco for good.”

This past fall PascoCounty Schools was awarded aWorksite Wellness SilverAward from the Florida To-bacco Cessation Alliance fortheir commitment and dedica-tion to providing programs tohelp their employees quit to-bacco.

Tobacco Free Florida’sPrograms Are Free To YourBusiness: It may be difficult toknow where to start, so don’thesitate to reach out to a localTobacco Free

Florida representative.They can assist you in identify-ing appropriate tobacco cessa-tion treatment services foryour business and guide youthrough the steps to creating asupportive workplace for em-ployees trying to quit tobacco.Best of all their help to you is

free and it can have a big impact onyour business’ profits and your em-ployees’ lives.

To find out more about To-bacco Free Florida and how theycan help you, visit www.tobac-cofreeflorida.com/ or call or emaillocal representative Georgia Brieckat 727-619-0161 [email protected].


experience as alawyer, prides her-self on being able toprovide face to facerepresentation withclients. In that re-gard, the location ofThe Bleakley BavolLaw Firm’s officesto surroundingneighborhoods inCarrollwood, NorthTampa, and south-ern Pasco Countyhas been a bonus.This allows manyclients convenient access for face to faceconsultation with their lawyer, a lost artamong too many in the legal profes-sion. At Bleakley Bavol, Christina hascontinued to focus her practice prima-rily in the areas of estate planning, pro-bate, wills and trusts, as well ascorporate law, business formation andtransactions.

In addition, Robert notedChristina is an added bonus to thecomplex commercial litigation team atBleakley Bavol. “Ronald Denmanjoined our firm in 2014 and, likeChuck, brought something new to ourfirm. Our firm had always had a com-mercial litigation presence but Ron re-ally brings our commercial practice toentirely new level, expanding it to in-clude complex probate and guardian-ship litigation. Ron is a formerprosecutor and general counsel of alarge corporation. He cut his teeth try-ing commercial cases down in Miamiand throughout the south Florida area.Fortunately, when he arrived, we hadChristina’s commercially oriented brainto lend to Ron’s team and it hasworked out very well.”

Estate Planning, WillsAnd Trusts

Whether you want to do a simplewill or trust to provide for the disposi-tion of your personal belongings andother assets and property or are look-ing for business succession planning,Christina will offer well thought outadvice and will assist you with your es-tate planning needs..

“At some point in their life, eachand every person is going to need a willand I am here to help with that,” saysChristina. “I will take the time to ex-plain your options based upon yourneeds and goals and help to plan out all

the details.” If you have assets, and have yet to

set up a will or trust, I think it’s timeyou come and talk to Christina. Nomatter what your situation may be,Christina may be able to help! “Havinga will is so important,” says Christina.“You want to make sure your assets goto the people and in the manner whichyou want them to go. If you die with-out a will or a trust, your assets willpass according to the intestacy laws,which may not be consistent with yourwishes.”

Having a will is especially impor-tant if you have children who are mi-nors. Something people don’t oftenconsider is the mechanism in whichtheir children will inherit their prop-erty. “When minor children are in-volved, it is usually a good idea to havetrust provisions to provide for the dis-tribution of the money to children overtime and in installments; otherwise thechildren could have complete controlof the money when they turn 18. Theuse of trust provisions allows you todecide at what age the child will receivemoney and the amount they will re-ceive. Trust provisions are particularlyimportant when your children areyoung because you do not yet knowwhat their maturity level with be andwhether they will be able to handle asignificant amount of wealth at thetime of your death.”

From small family run businesses tolarge corporations, Christina has a lot offamiliarity with estate planning from acorporate perspective as well, and hashelped many business owners plan forthe succession of their business.

Christina says, “I enjoy meetingwith clients and getting to know themand finding out what it is they want toachieve. Building a strong relationship

The Bleakley Bavol Law Firm –An “AV” Rated Full-Service Law Firm

By Alexis Selby

From commercial, tort, construc-tion or employment litigation to cor-porate, business transactions, probate,estate planning or family law, nomatter is too big or too small for theexperienced attorneys at The BleakleyBavol Law Firm.

Conveniently situated on 5.4acres, just north of the intersection ofBearss Avenue and US 41, at 15170North Florida Avenue, Tampa Bayresidents and those in the surroundingareas do not have to travel far to getexcellent legal representation; BleakleyBavol is your local full service “AV”rated law firm (the highest possiblerating on Martindale Hubbell’s lawyerrating system) and is ready to helpyou, no matter what your situationmay be.

Managing partner Robert Bleak-ley has practiced law for over 23 years.After eight years practicing law insome of Tampa’s most respecteddowntown law firms, Bleakley openedthe firm as a solo practice in April2000. Originally located in the Bankof America Building in downtownTampa, the firm’s early practice focusedon defending trucking companies andlarger business in auto, premises andworkers compensation claims. How-ever, almost from its inception, the firmbegan a 15 year trend of organicgrowth adding clients, new lines ofbusiness, and experienced attorneys.Today the firm employs 13 attorneyswith further growth still planned. In2008 the firm re-located from down-town to its current location near thecorner of Florida and Bearss Avenue.

Strategic GrowthRobert is accompanied by his part-

ner Chuck Bavol, who joined the firmin March 2011, transitioning the namefrom The Bleakley Law Firm to TheBleakley Bavol Law Firm. “WhenChuck joined in 2011 he brought insophistication, experience and excellenttrial strategies and technological toolsthat really advanced our practice and al-lowed us to provide even better serv-ices to our clients, particularly in thearea of litigation,” says Robert. Chuckis nationally recognized as an outstand-ing litigator who has served as nationaltrial counsel for Dow Corning and reg-ularly handles high exposure product li-ability, medical device, medical

malpractice, and construction cases. In 2012 Robert’s long-time friend

and fellow Avila neighbor, Rob Grace,joined the firm. Bleakley describesGrace as a “throw-back”. He says,“Rob has over 24 years of experiencepracticing law and is one of the states’most respected workers compensationlitigators. He is a ‘lawyers lawyer’ –professional, ethical, and one of thehardest working attorneys I know.”Grace leads a team of experiencedworkers compensation defense attor-neys that include partners Dave Lam-ont and Crystal Corry.

In 2015 the firm added northTampa resident Kristen Allman, whospent the majority of her 28 year legalcareer as a board certified employmentlaw specialist. Robert noted the firmhas represented large companies andsmaller businesses in employment dis-putes for years and adding an attorneywith true specialization in the employ-ment law area was something he haddesired for many years.

In addition, Robert noted thelong time contributions of partnersR.G. “Mack” McCormick, who hasbeen with the firm since 2001 andwho, along with Robert, representsnational floor cleaning companies andlarge malls in premises liability claimsand been to trial many times withRobert. “We have fought many battlestogether and there is no one else Iwould rather go to trial with thanMack. In a very similar way, our part-ner Melissa Krepps has been throughnumerous trials with Chuck Bavol.She is the guru of federal court proce-dure and has successfully argued at the11th Circuit Court of Appeals.”

Robert says, “not all of your read-ers are a general counsel or risk man-ager of a large company seekingrepresentation in commercial or tortcases. But everyone in your audiencewill probably need a lawyer at somepoint in their lives.” In 2006 Bleakleyadded Christina Hebert as a partner inorder to provide legal services to localbusinesses and individuals in areasother than just litigation. Prior to join-ing the firm, Christina gained experi-ence working in a small Tampa firmwhere she was a partner and handledcorporate work and business transac-tions, guardianship and probate mattersas well as drafted wills and formulatedestate plans.

Christina, who has 20 years of

Managing Partner Robert Bleakley andAttorney Christina Hebert


is really important to me. They need tobe able to trust you and have confi-dence in the legal services you are pro-viding them.”

Maybe you already have a will inplace, but your situation has changed,such as you have recently gotten a di-vorce. Did you remember to changeyour beneficiary designation? This is acommon mistake that many people for-get to do. Your will does not determinewhere all of your assets will go, thebeneficiary designation controls that.So if you forget to change that your as-sets can end up going to somebodythat you didn’t want it to go to – suchas your ex spouse.

There are so many things to takeinto account when estate planning, sowhy not talk to the professionals atBleakley Bavol so you know it will gettaken care of properly!

Trust Is The Key To Success Bleakley credits the firm’s focus on

building trust with its clients as the rea-son it has been successful. “Trust is soimportant; the client has to know thattheir lawyer is looking out for them,”says Robert. “Most people start with apreconceived notion that lawyers areonly looking out for their own best in-terests, but we go above and beyond toprove that we put our clients’ needsfirst and will always do what is in theirbest interests. We preach to our newlawyers at every monthly meeting thatwe must take every opportunity tobuild trust with our client. In the end,if we can build that bond of trust withour client, where they know, becausewe have already proven it, that we arelooking out for the client, we will besuccessful.”

With an experienced roster of at-torneys, The Bleakley Bavol Law Firm

draws on its vast expe-rience to advise itsclients of the signifi-cant costs and risks oflitigation. But witheach legal matter,there is also a possiblesolution. Robertsays, “What I like bestabout practicing law isfinding the solution.Sometimes there is nogood solution, sosometimes my job isto find the least badsolution – a way out.All of our attorneysare really good at un-derstanding the prob-lem, finding the bestsolution for the clientand developing a plan

to get them there.” Firm Administrator Jayme Bluffs-

tone has been with the firm since 2004.She adds a different perspective on thegrowth and success of the firm. “Wehave great attorneys and an incrediblestaff supporting them. There is a lot oflongevity in not only our attorneys butalso our staff; our original legal secre-tary has been here with us for 15 years– since Robert opened the firm. I thinkthat says a lot about the environmentthat Robert and Chuck foster here.This firm is family and we grow it thatway. We are very particular about thepeople we bring in because that is arepresentation of who we are. We aredifferent – our employees often com-ment that the environment here iscompletely different than any other lawfirm where they previously worked. Weintentionally run it that way. We aredifferent with a purpose.”

At Bleakley Bavol you get thebest of both worlds, the experience,professionalism, and even an elegantlegal environment, without having todrive downtown to get it. ChristinaHebert added, “you can expect per-sonalized attention from lawyers whotruly care about you and your wellbeing”. As their slogan proudlyreads, “Large enough to handle com-plex cases, small enough to providepersonalized service!”

The Bleakley Bavol Law Firm islocated at 15170 North Florida Ave.in Tampa. The firm is open 8:30a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Mon.–Fri.; ap-pointment times available outsidenormal office hours. For informa-tion or to schedule a consultation,call (813) 221-3759 or visitwww.BleakleyBavol.com.

At Bleakley Bavol Law Firm,you can expect personalized attention from lawyers

who truly care about your individual case


By Deborah Bostock-Kelley

With locations in North Tampa,Brandon, and Pinellas Park, SoundExchange is home to tens of thou-sands of CDs, vinyl records, andmovies. Whether you’re searchingfor a heavy metal album or a classicfilm on Blu-Ray, you’re likely to findit here.

And it’s not only music andmovies on the shelves: you’ll find aselection of freshly serviced turnta-bles, reel-to-reel tape decks, andother vintage stereo equipment.Comics, music and pop culturebooks, and collectible figures roundout the inventory.

This place is an entertainmentlover’s dream.

Erin Stoy, Marketing Directorand Vinyl Buyer, said that Sound Ex-change purchases all of its used itemsfrom the public. Staff stays busy pur-chasing items every day - from a sellerwho brings in a handful of CDs totrade towards new items, to a collec-tor ready to part with his completemusic collection.

“Customers have the option totake cash or store credit,” said Erin.“The store credit option is a 10%bonus over the cash offer. Many cus-tomers have been selling to use foryears because they know when theycome here, they will get a fair price.”Sound Exchange uses sales historydata, current market conditions, anddecades of experience to identify theappropriate offer for an item.

They regularly purchase itemsfrom individuals liquidating the estateof a family member who has passedaway. Music and stereo equipmentthat might normally be discarded canfind a new, appreciative audience.

Sound Exchange regularly seeksvintage hi-fi. “We buy turntables frommost eras – anywhere from the late1960s to recently manufacturedturntables of good quality,” she said.They also purchase reel-to-reel players,amplifiers, receivers, and stereo speak-ers, especially from the “golden era”of the 1970s. And if you have stereo

equipment that you’d like to use but isnot working properly, Sound Ex-change can even repair it for you.

Each location boasts its own per-sonality. “All three stores have aslightly different flavor and clientele,”said Stoy. “There’s commonality, ofcourse, but because we buy so many

used items over the counter, the selec-tion in each store is different based onwhat people bring us.” She reportsthat many customers shop at all threestores, because there is different inven-tory in each one.

The Sound Exchange inventory issearchable in real-time on the com-

Sound Exchange Is thePlace to Go to Sell CDs,

Records, and More


teresting items,” said Stoy. “We arenot a niche-market kind of store. Wecarry all kinds of music and movies,whatever we believe will interest ourvaried customers. Having three loca-tions enables us to buy a lot of goodquality used product from the public.”

Sound Exchange in Tampa islocated at 14246 N. Nebraska Ave.and can be reached at (813) 978-9316, hours are Mon. - Sat. 11am –9pm, Sunday 11am – 7pm; Bran-don at 805 W. Bloomingdale Ave.,

(813) 651- 9316, hours are Mon. -Thurs. 11am – 8pm, Fri. -Sat.11am – 9pm, and Sun. noon –6pm; and Pinellas Park at 768846th St North, (727) 545-0042,hours are Mon. - Thurs. 11am –8pm, Fri. - Sat. 10am – 8pm, andSun. noon – 6pm.

For more information pleasevisit their website atwww.SoundExchangeTampaBay.comor their Facebook page atFacebook.com/SoundExchange-TampaBay.

pany’s web site. New and used CDs,DVDs, Blu-Rays, stereo equipment,and new vinyl records are all listedthere. If a customer wants an itemavailable at a location not convenientfor him, he can make an online reser-

vation and have it delivered to his clos-est Sound Exchange.

Customers can also visit Facebookto see new arrivals in all Sound Ex-change stores. “Our Facebook pagealways has daily photos of new and in-

New Tampa Players PresentSomething’s Afoot

Apr. 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17––“A ragingthunderstorm, ten thousand strangersare stranded in an old English Man-sion. Murder, mystery, music and com-edy abound when guests disappear oneby one.” Something’s Afoot, The Mu-sical Whodunit, the zany AgathaChristie whodunit with music, is di-rected by James Cass with musical di-rection by Jared Porter, will play atUniversity Area Community Center,14013 N. 22nd Street in Tampa.Ticket prices: Adult, $20; Students (14and under) and seniors, $17; Groups of10 or more, $15. Times: Thurs. &Fri., 4/7 & 4/8, 8 PM; Sat., 4/9, 2 &8 PM; Sun., 4/10, 2 PM; Sat., 4/16, 2& 8 PM; Sun., 4/17, 2 PM.

For additional information, call(813) 386-6687 or log on towww.newtampaplayers.org.

Tampa Palms Spring FashionShow: Fashion Week Parisienne

Thurs. April 21 at the TampaPalms Golf & Country Club, 5811Tampa Palms Blvd, Tampa

Celebrate the 2016 Fashion Sea-son as the latest styles and accessoriesgrace the runway at Tampa Palms Golf& Country Club showcasing acces-sories and more.

10:15 a.m. Doors Open 10:15 a.m. Social Time 11 a.m. Live Auction to benefit theOASIS charity 11:30 a.m. Fashion Show 12 p.m. Luncheon - A duet of petitebaguettes - turkey with provolone,arugula, honey mustard; ham withtomato, basil, olive oil accompanied by afield of greens salad and fresh fruit. Fordessert - a blueberry crumble parfait. 1 - 4 p.m. After Show Fashion Sales

Price is $30 per person RSVP no later than Sat., April 9.

To RSVP please contact Kathy Wiley,Publicity Chairman, at (505) 480-7959 or [email protected].

Mary Jo's Performing ArtsSummer Camps

15906 Mapledale Blvd., Tampa,(813) 969-0240, mjpaa.com/summer

Experience a summer of fun andexcitement in the performing arts!Keep active all summer in dance, act-ing, musical theater, voice and musicfor ages 2 1/2 & older. The weeklythemes include Frozen Fun, Fairy &Fantasy, Be a Rock Star, Princess & Pi-rates, Broadway & More! Take thestage this summer and perform in awide variety of styles and venues.

Mary Jo’s Performing Arts islocated at 15906 Mapledale Blvd.,Tampa. Classes fill quickly soregister online now atwww.MJPAA.com/summer or bycalling (813) 969-0240.


“Calendar”Continued from page 5


“We can’t completely defy aging— but we can minimize the unwantedeffects of the aging process,” saysBoard Certified Physician, Dr. Jo-hanna deVryer. Tampa Rejuvenationis an integrative wellness clinic that fo-cuses on health, giving you answersthat your physicians might not betelling you. We help men and womenstruggling with:

• Fatigue• Weight Gain• Decreased Libido

• Hot Flashes• Sleep Issues• ThyroidAs a woman, she’s been there be-

fore. As a medical doctor, she’s deter-mined to find a better way to help herpatients feel like themselves again.Through hormone pellet therapy andmedical weight loss, Dr. deVryer andher team have succeeded in helpinghundreds of men and women combatthe effects of aging.

“The pellets are 100% bioidentical

(natural), it’s a virtually painlessprocess in which pellets are insertedbeneath the skin, to be absorbed natu-rally over time. Patients are able to gofour to six months between treat-ments. The results are fascinating, Ilove to see patients within a few weekscome back and tell me they can’t be-lieve they forgot what good felt like,”says Dr. deVryer.

Schedule a no cost consultationwith Dr. deVryer and her medicalteam at one of Tampa Rejuvenation’s

four Tampa Bay Area locations (NorthTampa, South Tampa, Brandon, andOldsmar/Westchase) by calling (813)501-6622. Find more infomation attamparejuvenation.com.

Feel Great, Lose Weight, Have Better Sex!

Natasha Williams, ARNPJohanna deVryer, MDCaroline Lomboy, DOKaren Evans, MD

new tampa - vol. 2, issue 3, march 2016

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